Columns

Insanity has been defined as “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This quote has been attributed to several famous people, including Albert Einstein and Ben Franklin.

It amazes me how often we don’t get this concept. We think if we stay the same way long enough, the world around us will change for the better. Then we get frustrated when it doesn’t. We fail to recognize that the same actions equal the same results.

SALT LAKE CITY — All the way along the route to what locals call Mormon Central, I thought about my friend Vince Distasio, who was a colleague back in the late ‘60s, when we taught at Cuba High School.

“Ninety percent of the game is half mental. ”What? That statement doesn’t even make sense. Don’t ask questions, it was said by Yogi Berra!

This is just one of many quotes of “wisdom” by baseball great Yogi Berra, who apparently wasn’t too bright with numbers.He also once said “90 percent of short putts don’t go in.” Each of these quotes supports the premise that four out of three individuals are poor at fractions!

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to join Gov. Susana Martinez as she delivers an important message across the Land of Enchantment: Tourism is on the rise and is bringing dollars and jobs to New Mexico.

For the third straight year, New Mexico saw record-breaking tourism growth, with 32.7 million people traveling our state in 2014. That’s 500,000 more visitors than in 2013, a boost that is exposing more people than ever before to our cultural heritage and unparalleled adventure.

There was a bit of relief when I read a review of a new book that declares that “Go Set a Watchman,” is not a sequel to the 1960s blockbuster novel that became a great movie, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

But before proceeding, let me release the long-standing pun regarding the Mexican mixed drink called “Tequila Mockingbird.” There might be some mixicologists who will prepare you a Bloody Mary, or Gin and Tonic or a Hot Toddy, but a Tequila concoction? I don’t think so.

Are you coachable? Do you take instruction well? Do you listen to advice from others?

Are you the smartest person who ever lived? Maybe a better question is, “Are you the smartest person you know?” If so, why would you need to listen to anyone else? If not, why wouldn’t you listen to others?

Don’t be surprised to discover that I’ve used this statement in several past columns: It’s a miracle that anyone learns English. I’m instantly reminded of the song Professor Henry Higgins blurts out early in the movie and play, “My Fair Lady.”

The professor, a dialectician and grammarian, sings “Why Can’t the English Teach Their Children How to Speak?” as he laments Eliza Doolittle’s use of “aawww” and “gawwn,” a form of Cockney-speak people of that time and place had grown accustomed to.